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Last Minute Christmas Gift – Pistachio Brittle

We all have that moment. You know, the one where you suddenly realise there’s someone you’ve forgotten to buy a gift for, the neighbour who pops around with a bottle of wine, or the unexpected family member who you find out will be coming to dinner the day before. The shops are shut. so you have to magically concoct something to give them.

Panic!

Or, not. I make this recipe with pistachios, but really, you can use any nuts you have hanging around. I tend already have these ingredients in the house anyway so can whip this gift up in no time. Plus, a little goes a long way. You can bag this up and it’ll make enough to give to at least 4 people. I first saw this recipe in the Tesco magazine (there are some GREAT recipes in there and it’s free!). You can see the original here, if you like.

Ingredients

60g butter

180g caster sugar

200ml Golden Syrup

200g nuts of your choice, eg pistachio, macadamia, almonds, hazelnuts

— Roughly chop your nuts and set aside. Grease and line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Place the butter and sugar into a heavy bottomed pan on a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy.

— Pour in the golden syrup and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, stop stirring it as the sugar could crystallize. Keep an eye on it though as it can catch and burn easily. Swirl the pan to mix it if you need to.

— Let the mixture bubble away for around 20 minutes. It should be a rich amber colour and when it’s ready it will harden when dropped into a glass of cold water. If you have a sugar thermometer it should reach 300 degrees Celsius. Don’t be tempted to take the mixture off the heat too early and it won’t be the right texture once set.

— When it’s reached the correct temperature, stir in the nuts and pour into your pre-prepared tray. Leave to set for a couple of hours until it’s really hard, then break into shards and package into cellophane bags.

This stuff is yummy, and is a great last minute present you can easily knock up on Christmas Eve!

Looks lovely.Reminds me of vacations. It’s very similar to an Indian recipe called as “chikki”. It’s my favourite! Typically made with peanuts & jaggery but also has several variations like sesame seeds and other nuts.